Improvement in apparatus and process for refrigerating, preserving



5 Sheets-Sheet; 1.

v 1)..B. SOMBS. APPARATUS POR AND PROCESS ,OPRBPRIGERATING,PRBSERVING, AND

VBNTILATING.

No. l,1oz,986. Patented May 10,1870.

5 Sheets-Sheet 2. v

D.E.S0MBS.

APPARATUS POR AND PROCESS OP REFRIGrERATING, PRESERVING, AND VBNTILATING.

4No. 102,986. f Patented May 10, 1870.

5 Sheets-Sheet 3.

D. E. SOMPS. APPARATUS PoRAND PROCESS oP-RBPRIGPRATPNG, PRBSPRVING, AND

" VBNTIL-ATING. l No. 102,986. Patented May l0, 18'70.v

5 Sheets-'Sheet 4.

A D. asoma. APPARATUS POR AND PROCESS OPAREIERIGERATING, PRESERVING, AND VBNTILATING.

No. 102,985.. y Patented May1o,1a7o.

gatcaioiiiiw.

DANIEL sones, or WASHINGTON, DISTRICT or ooLInuBIA.4

Letters Patent No. 102,986, :lated May 10, 1870.

gwn- IMPROVEMENT IN APPARATUS AND PROCESS FOR REFRIGERATING, PRESERVING,

AND YENTILATING'.

. The Schedule referred to in'these Letters Patent and makiug'pext cf the same To all whom it may concern:

B e it known that I, DANIEL E. Soluns, of Washington,n the county of Washington and in the District of Columbia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Process and'Apparatus for Making Ice, Preserving Food, and Ventilating Buildings; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being .had to the annexed irawings making part of this specification, in which-- Figure l is a horizontal section on line x a: of iig. 2.

Figure 2 is alongitudinal vertical section on line y y of iig. 1.

Figure 3 is atransverse vertical section on line z z 0f iig. 2.

Figure 4 is a vertical section of the air-compressing chamber, which, in this instance, is shown tol be of cylindrical form, and into which airis blown by a blower, and from which the air is discharged through a series of tubes, the discharge-aperture of the tubes being contracted, sothat the air or gas, on escaping in a somewhat compressed state, will suddenly expand inlthe cooling-chamber, containing volatile liquids, evaporators, ice-tanks, dto., and thus produce cold.

Figure 5 is a vertical'section of an air-compressing chamber, similar in construction to the one shown in the preceding ligure, a force-pump being substituted for the blower, so that the air, on escaping through the nozzled tubes, may possess enough force or veloei ity to canse it to create a vacuum in vertical tubes placed before thein, in which the liquid in the bottom of the chamber-will thenrise and be thrown in a iine spray against a preserving-cliamber.

Figure 6 is a vertical section, showing a cylindrical air-compressing chamber, into which air is blown by `a blower, 'said blower drawing the air through a pipe,

inclosing another pipe, both intcriorand exterior pipes being covered with iibrous material, the former upon V its inner, the latter. upon its outer surface, showing,

also, an evaporating-tube upon the top of the chainber, with an annular air-conduit surrounding it, through which the air is drawn bya suction-blower, and thence discharged upon condensing-tubes, incloscd in a suitable chamber, which, in turn, may be mounted by another evaporating-tube.

Figure 7 is a horizontalsection of my improved upparatu's, showing it apart from' the surrounding tanks.

Figure 8 is a vertical section of a portion thereof, s howing more particularly an arrangement of a-suciion-blower in a depression of the floor, so that such blower may draw in soule ofthe liquid which may be used to cover the door, and discharge itin a'spray upon preserving-chambers suspended in the apparatus.

Figure 9 is a vertical longitudinal section of a'railroad oar, provided with a perforated tube, disposed horizontally upon its top, into which perforated tube Awater is forced by a pump from a tank in the car, and,

flowing or spirting through its perforations, falls upon the roof of 'such car,'which is covered with fibrous niaterial, all being for the purpose of producing cold in the car by evaporation.

' Figure l0 is a transverse vertical section of a railroad car, provided with a vertical evaporating-tnbe.

The same letters are used in all the figures in the designation of identical parts.

This invention relates to cooling air, cooling or freezing liquids and other substances, and to preserving animal and vegetable food, fruits, Ste., andalso to generating and using carbonio acid and other gases.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willA now proceed to descl'ibe its construction and operation.

First, cooling and freezing liquids, air, and other substances. lhis is accomplished, first, by passing through the liquid to be cooled, or around it, tubes, channels, or chambers, in which is forced or drawn common air, carbonio acid, o r other gases.-

Secondly, by forcing or drawing air or gas, or aton1' ized or vaporized liquid or spray through tubes or channels, surrounded by the air, liquid, or other substance to be cooled, or against or around tubes, channels, chambers, or vessels, containing the air, liquid, or other substance to be cooled or frozen.

Thirdly, by compressing air or glas, and conducting therefrom the heat thereby produced, and then letting it suddenly expand and directing it against pipes, tanks, or other vessels containing air, gas, liquids,or other substances to bc cooled.

Fourthly, by forcing air or gas against pipes, tanks,

or other vessels covered with some tibrous, porous, or

otherv lsuitable material, and -wet or Inoistened by water, ether, ammonia, snlphuric acid, alcohol, spirits ofrturpentine; righolde, or any volatile liquid sub.

stance.

Fifthly, by conducting liquid -to tubes or vessels, which may be placed above the roof, or at any convenient place outside of a building, car, ship, or other vessel, some ot' said tubes or vessels to be covered with iibrous material, against which currents of air are blown or drawn, causing evaporation and consequently producing cold in the various structures or vessels.

Sixth, generating carbonio-acid gas, andV using it in the tanks or other vessels, to aid in the preservation ot' meats, fish, vegetables, fruits, and other articles. I also use it compressed, and allow it to expand inthe Afor refrigerating and cooling are placed in the second and third stories, leaving the lower floor clear to be used or occupied for other purposes:

This arrangement may,lof course, be departed from to suit any conditions which may make -it desirable to do so.

The lower room may be employedas a preservingroom, or for the making of ice.

B the cooling-chamber, ofthe form shown, or any other formed by the walls B1 and BZ and top B, and bottom or door B*, and arranged vin the second story ofthe building.

This chamber is surrounded by'au outer casing, G2, inclosing a space, C, which is preferably filled with brine or other liquid which congeals at a lower temperature than the freezing-point of water, into which a series of 4tanks or chaznbers, C, is suspended, in which articles to be/cooled, preserved, or refrigerated may be placed, and another series of similar tanks, G, is placed at suitable distances apart in the chamber. B itself, the said tanks G1 being., in most instances, covered with fibrous material, and provided with a reservoir around their upper ends, containing ether, water, or other liquid, to trickle down upon such brous COVel'lUg.

Sonie of the chambers()l are not thus covered, and act as condeusers to dry the air or gas just before it enters thc pump or blower.

These tanks maybevriaescas to removable from the chamber B and space G, having flanges around their tops, from whichl to obtain support, and said iiauges may rest upon rubber tubing, laid in grooves around the edge ofthe opening in the top of the casing or upon the flange itself; or both, so as to render the joints air-tight; or they may be made permanent in the machine, and water for being frozen be `filled directly into them, or into smaller tanks set into the same and removable therefrom.

The room containing the pump or blower is marked D, and is divided off front the chamber B by partitions, so as to form an independent air-tight room.

The pump D' or blower draws the air from one end of the refrigerating-chamber B and forces it iut-o the other end of said chamber, thus keeping up a continuous circulation of such air or gas.

When it is desired to compress the air or other gas, to lower its temperature, an air-compressing chamber, E, is used, either placed within the room D, or in the cooling-chamber B, it being made air-tight in its connect-ions with said chambers, and provided with an evaporating-tube', E1, for the purpose of conducting away the heat produced by compressing such air or gas.

'lhe heat may be conducted from such chamber by a stream of water surrounding the same, or a packing of ice, ice and salt, or other cooling substances.

F F, Jvc., represent a number ot' evaporating-tubcs, which may extend above the roof of the building, to be acted upon by the wind, and extend downward through the floors and the cooling-chamber B to the lower room, they being leftopen at top and bottom, and provided with valves in the usual manner, to serve for cooling and vcntilating.

Above the roof and within the eenling-chamber, and at other points, they are covered with fibrous or porous material, and have reservoirs for liquid to be discharged upon such fibrous covering.

G represents another cvaporating-tube, extending nearly to the bottom of the cooling-chamber B, and

covered like the one just described, extending into the third story through another cooling air-chamber, soon to be described, so that the heat, on rising from the chamber B, may be again acted upon by another current of air. v

This tube has reservoirs for liquid, as shown, and is iucased in a suitable non-conducting box, between the two cooling-chambers.

Gr1 represents another evaporating-tube, extending through the upper cooling-chamber, and down through the top of the lower one, to conduct' the heat that rises above the lower ends of the tubes G, j ust described, having, of course, no cvapoiating apparatus attached to its lower end.

Grz is still another evaporating-tube attached to the top of the condensing-chamber H.

The liquid to be used in the reservoirs of the evaporating-tubes is conducted to them by pipes, and, wherever it is necessary, the di'erent'evaporatingtubes are provided with surrounding basins to catch the surplus or unevaporated liquid.

H is another continuous cooling-chamber, similar to the one B, provided with a blowe'.v1 or pump, to produce a continuous circulation of air or gas, directed against the evaporators, and against the pipes in the comlensing-chamber H', which, as already stated, is surmounted by an evaporating-tuhe, and incased in good non-conducting material.

I represents a retort, connected by pipes l and branch-pipes to the various tanks and cooling-chambers B and Hfand preserving-chambers, such pipes being at suitable points provided with valves or cocks to regulate and direct the flow of the gas.

In this retort, chalk, marble-dust, and the like are placed, upon which sulphuric or other suitable acid is poured, whereby carbonio-acid gas is generated to be conducted where it may be wanted, or it may be generated as described in my patent No. 77,669.

The walls, or ceilings and floors of the cooling-chambers may be corrugated, or made irregular in any form, so as to present a greater cooling surface, and so that the depressions in the floor may contain a series of pools of the evaporating liquid and alternate ridges of the fibrous material over which the air or gas is forced, thus producing a greater degree of evaporation, and consequently a lower temperature than if floors and walls were smooth.

This apparatus is applicable to and is intended t be used in cars, ships, steamboats, and other vessels, the upper deck being represented by the roof of a building or car, and the cabin or other apartments ot' the ship by the various stories, as shown in the drawings.

The lower 'story K maybe used as a packing or preserving-room, or a room for the manufacture of ice, receiving its cold air through the evaporating tubes F, and the air in said chamber is also made cold by contact with the bottom of the cooling-chamber B, when so desired.

XVhen it is not intended to make icc in this room, the bottom of said chamber B is covered by wood, or some poor conductor, interposed between its metallic bottom and the air in the lower room.

The operation of thisapparatus is as follows:

The ether, ammonia, or other volatile substance, is poured into the cooling-chamber in sufficient quantity to keep the fibrous coverings moist, and have a small quantity stand in the depressions. A blower is then started in one or more ofthe cooling-chambers B and H, which' causes a continuous circulation of the air or gas, and throws the liquid from the depression L, tiff. 8, in the loor against the tanks Cl and evaporators G in the form of spray or mist, and also against the walls and tloor.

The liquid thus parts with a portion of its latent heat, which rises through the cvaporating tubes from the action ot' the evaporators, and carried into the other end of cooling-chambers B and H. the gas or l parted with all its heat, and that which is contained be of metal,and are left without the fibrous or porous or the device shown in figli, will suiiice. It, however,

one cooling-chamberto the other, and is extracted by open air or to the coinleusing-chamber..' Neal-H the air strikes against metal or tanks lled with ice, to

condenseits moisture, and causes it to enter the blower in adry state, ready to repeat the operation.

The operation is thus continued until the liquid has in the water or other sutstance to be frozen.` The temperature may be brought down. many degrees be-I low zero byusing the force-pump, and compressing and expanding air orgas, and atomizing light volatile liquid, as herein described,

Ice is placed in some ot tue tanks O, as a reinforcement ot' cold, when the machinery is ynot in operation, and in some of those markedGl. to aid in condensing the moisture in the gas in the refrigeratingfcbamber. Inthe latter case, the taule so used are designed t-o covering.

a a, &c.,-show supports n' legs for the chamber B, which are made hollow am filled with ether or other volatile liquid, and, as the air or other gas is drawn or forced over them, said liqiid rapidly evaporates and produces cold.

When I wish to keep 'he temperature a few dcgrees above the freezing-pont for preserving purposes, or for salting meats, iish, isc., it is only necessary to use a blower and one ref'rigerating-chamber, with water therein as an evaporaing duid, or these may be dispensed with, and the e'faporators in the open air,

the manufacture of ice is the object, ether or other very volatile iiuid should be employed in the refrigerating-chamber, and force-pumps, with compressingchambers, be substituted for the blowers.

What I cla-im as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The reti'igcratingchamber '13, blower or pump, and volatile liquid, in combination with the evaporalors (ll, (l, G1, and G, substantially as described.

2. The refrigerati11g-chamber B, evaporators and blower or pump, in combination with the tanks C or Gl, substantiall y as and for the purposes described.

The gas-retort and conducting-pipes, in combination with the preserving-tanks C, substantially as described. 4 y

4. The gas-retort with conducting-pipeor pipes, in combination with the ret'rigerating-chambcrl, blower or pump, and volatile liquid, substantially as described.

5. 'lhe refrigerating-chamber, having corrugated walls or floors, in combination with volatile liquid,

substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. The refrigerati11g-chamber, lined with fibrous or porous material, in combination with volatile liquid, substantially as and for the purpose' described.

7. (lompressing iiuid in one chamber, and allowing itto expand in another, in combination with evaporating devices, substantially as described.

8. Tile cooling and preserving room K, beneath the refrigerating-chamber l5, in combination with the veutilating `and evaporating-tube F, substantially as described.

il. In combination with the rei'rigerating-chamber B, the blower for forcingvor drawing liquid or iluid, when set in a depression in the door, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

10. The compressing-chamber, surrounded by icc, water, or other cold substance, in combination wit-h evaporators Si, and blower or pump, substantially as described. y

11. Retl'igerating or cooling and Ventilating cars by means of the apparatus or devices, substantially as` yherein described. v

12. Reiiigerating or cooling and Ventilating ships, boats, and other vessels, by means ot' the apparatus` ordevices substantially as herein described.

D. E. SOMES.

Witnesses:

B. E. LLOYD, F. C. Soares. 

